Burton Flight Attendant 2018 - 2015
Review by The Good Ride

The Burton Flight Attendant takes a little of what they did with the Dump Truck, reduced the taper, set back and it give’s it a more of a double ender feel. It makes it a fun groomer carver/bomber and a powder friendly Freeride board that has a strong All Mountain Aftertaste. Not much has changed from 2015-2018 but the review has been updated to keep comparisons current. The only real change is there are a lot more sizes for 2017-2018 and there is a new top sheet for 2018 that is more eco-friendly. No real change to the ride though. Even though it got edged out by the Gnu Mulair as a favorite it’s still a very recommendable well liked board by our crew.

On Snow Feel: The camber of the Burton Flight Attendant goes from the tail to about the tree logo after the binding inserts. Then there is a little early rise rocker before the nose. There is also a higher camber arc going on here than most hybrid camber rides out there and even some true camber boards. The ride here is like a camber board until you get into powder and then the rocker and that massive shovel nose overpowers the camber in the ride to make it float pretty well. It feels almost like a double ender instead of a tapered directional board but the more you sett it back the more it feels like a tapered board. It’s got a special double ender carvy springy fun to turn feel on groomers but it can also get surfy when set back in the powder. It’s an amazing groomer board that can also do very well when it comes to direcitonal powder riding which makes this a freeride board that many will really like. The one thing I’d say is it’s not for the intermediate rider or even the non technical advanced rider. It’s for those that know how to turn really well and if you are that type of rider then you will be pretty stoked.

Powder: We had a few powder days now and it’s a great board for directional float. Even in thicker left over powder and not that set back in the trees it’s big shovel nose floated well. Setting it all the way back in deeper snow it floated really well and although it’s not as good as some directional boards it really floats well and surfs up snow like a performance short board for overhead waves. It’s fine turning in tight spots and trees although it’s not super quick. Most will be just fine with this. It’s a nice balance between a board that can straight line and a board that can slash through trees. Also the camber all the way to the tail will help you pop really well off natural features. The set back on side cut with the 159 is -35mm or almost 1.25″ but the set back on board when set all the way back at a 23″ stance width it’s more like -6.25 inches. That being said the Burton Flight Attendant is still pretty good. If you don’t have EST bindings you might be able to set it back even further.

Turn Initiation: It’s got that magical springy edge to edge feel like the Burton Custom X but doesn’t feel as aggressive. It’s pretty quick edge to edge but not snappy quick. It’s more fun making medium to wide turns and of course it just owns it on a carve. It’s the kind of board that allows you to relish every turn and it feels like it has some special magic that helps to set you up for the next turn. If you know how to properly turn a board then the Burton Flight Attendant will definitely reward you with a super fun springy turn that feels like it’s setting you up for the next one. Usually riding around the mountain and just making all kinds of good turns can get a little boring but the Flight Attendant it’s not. I was having so much fun turning the board I almost forgot to test other aspects of the ride.

Skidded Turns: Not a board for those who skid their turns and it still has a bit more of a technical camber feel to it.

Carving: If you live to make all kind of turns and especially carve when it’s not dumping then you have one of the best directional groomer boards we have recently encountered. It’s really fun to lay it out over the snow and really get into it.

Speed: Very fast and stable. The Burton Flight Attendant base is fast and has a good glide to it. Also it’s got a very chatter free ride when you get some speed going.

Uneven Terrain: This is a chunder buster so it’s got a great feel when bombing through tracked out powder. It doesn’t bounce you around at all and it can also help you get around rutted up mogul type of snow well too.

Edge Hold: We didn’t see much ice or hard snow. It was mainly perfect soft snow with left over powder but there were a few scraped away parts on the groomers that gave us a little taste. It seems to hold an edge well enough to handle med/hard snow to maybe even hard snow. The edge hold doesn’t feel bottomless but it’s good enough for riding in most conditions.

Flex: Not quite the buttery board tip to tail but if you are strong you can butter off the tail. The rocker in the nose makes it easier. The flex is medium/stiff to us and provides a pretty aggressive feel.

Switch: Now their is some side cut tech going on in the Burton Flight Attendant that makes a tapered board ride better switch than you would think and I was impressed with the Flight Attendants switch ability. It’s not going to blow your mind if you come from riding a twin but if you come from a tapered board with similar specs to the Flight Attendant it will be better than you thought. You can still feel that big ass nose dragging behind you riding switch but it’s doable for sure.

Jibbing: No jibbing with this board.

Pipe: We didn’t hit the pipe with this but it wouldn’t be bad at all if you wanted to do some directional pipe riding.

Jumps: There is a lot of camber and pop with this board and it’s got a springy feel to it that pops well on an Ollie. It’s the kind of board that is about as good as you can get when it comes to directional air. It’s all about a method off a cliff instead of a 180 in the park but what a method it will be. It’s not forgiving but it sure does pop.

All in all this was a board we found to be a very good ride. It was a favorite for many years and only recently got beat out by the Gnu Mullair on a head to head test. It’s still a very recommendable board but if you have the choice between these two you know what our choice would be.

I have a few days on this board and i do like it. I had a slash brainstorm which i loved, but it had a delamination issue, and they did not have any replacement boards, hence a refund was in order. anyway, i like this board, it's not too stiff, which is good. i got the 159w. i have only ridden it in good powder conditions, so we'll see how it performs elsewhere later. it floats well, but i do wish it had a little more rocker in the nose and maybe a touch softer flex. i also agree that at first it is a little on the heavy side, but i don't think i notice it too much now. overall i like it, its not perfect but it is a good board.

I was excited to buy this board as i have transitioned more into a freeride-r over the years. I have ridden 18 years on traditional camber boards and decided to give this a go in the deep Northwest Snow. I am overall not impressed. I have put about 10 days on this baby in everything from 2 feet of powder to icy rain crusts. It does GOOD in deep (8"+) snow and chopped up snow. But i have found everything else to be a struggle with this. The tapered design allows the back leg to wash out all the time and the tail is WAY stiffer than the nose which, unless its soft powder, will slap you around a bit. I may have oversized the board a bit, but i think this will now be my powder board. Deffinately NOT an all around shredder type board and overall feels heavy. Carving is just okay. Nothing compared to a traditional camber board which has that predictable feel to it.

Really fun board which is a blast on groomers and in the off-piste. A quick turner that is really fast and super stable in high speed. Very easy to ride and pops nicely out of turns. If pushed hard it is really rewarding but you can at the same time cruise around with little effort. The setback, directional shape and quite stiff tail allows it to float well in pow and the traditional camber plus torsional stiffness gives you grip and control in steep terrain and on harder snow. Highly recommended.

After trying this board and many others out at SIA, I decided I was gonna buy either this guy, or the Yes PYL. Since the PYL was sold out everywhere, I end up getting the Flight Attendant 156, and gosh... So glad I did.

(A little background story on how I end up with this board)I owned a Jones Flagship and still own the Ultra Aviator, and after 2 separate trips to colorado, each one taking one board I just wasn't happy with what I had. The Flasghip was great in pow, but the conditions for that board always needed to be ideal, and like James says, that board hates uneven snow and it makes your life super hard towards the end of the day when everything is tracked out. Quick turns on low speeds was also somewhat difficult (had a hard time on tight trees with it) so I had to let it go... The Ultra Aviator was nice, fast base, good edge hold, but the edge to edge response was just OK due to the board's waist width.

The Flight Attendant gave me everything I was looking for that neither of the Jones boards did. It was just good at everything while the jones were great at some things, but left you wanting a little more versatility. The Flight Attendant it's super quick edge to edge... super! Tree runs with this board is a blast, it responds so well, the float is phenomenal, and the carving... OMG! Let's talk about having a trampoline under your feet at the end of each turn! This board is a propeller, it accelerates after every carve -- if you know how to turn properly -- like a hard boot alpine racing board would, but it is also great for everything else (unless you're crazy about rails, jibbing etc). Jumps on this is a blast, the landing is always stomped, stable... it makes you feel confident, happy, like you're a much better rider than what you actually are... I could not recommend this enough, this could be a one board solution for those who are traveling and can only take one board. This will always make you happy, unless you want a super soft jibber, but again... if you're that guy, you're probably not reading this right now. Speed, float, action! Flight Attendant FTW!

The flight Attendant carved it up like Thanksgiving turkey. You can get low & lean hard on this board. Held the edges nicely, very fast edge to edge. Nice & damp through the chunder and well-mannered at speed. When you hit the brakes it’s like hockey skates. I was riding a ’13 Barracuda until I bought this board. Might like the Barracuda more for powder days, but the Flight Attendant is more fun on the average day in Vermont.

Bought this board with Diods and ION's before a vacation 2 weeks ago.Had powder days (oh this surfing..), freeride in forest, fast early grooming in sunny days - and it's just perfect in all conditions.. Thanks guys for my choice!

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4.55.066I have a few days on this board and i do like it. I had a slash brainstorm which i loved, but it had a delamination issue, and they did not have any replacement boards, hence a refBurton Flight Attendant 2015-2018 Snowboard Review